Fuel Pump Installation – Turbo Regal

Posted by
Steve

September 11th, 2015

This article is written with the shade tree mechanic in mind. With common hand tools, you should be able to remove and install a fresh upgraded fuel pump (mine was a Walbro 307) in your Turbo Regal. I replaced mine in my garage without the aid of a lift or any tools that an ordinary home mechanic wouldn’t have. With this in mind, read on.

** Disclaimer: The author makes no guarantees as to the accuracy of this document. Any mishaps or misfortunes as a result of using this document as a guide are not the fault of the author.

The Procedure

Get your tank as close to empty as you can by driving around. You wanted to show of your Turbo Regal anyway, didn’t you?

Drain the rest of the gas by first relieving the pressure. You can either disconnect the fuel pump power at the drivers side rear of the tank and run the car until it dies or you can press on the schrader valve if it is still installed. Remove the schrader valve with a removal tool which you can get at any auto parts store in the tire section.

Attach your rubber hose snugly over the test port and put the other end of the tube in the gas storage container. I used a five gallon plastic container for my installation.

Since my pump was hot wired, I simply unhooked the power wire from the 30 amp relay I mounted in the trunk and applied this directly to the pump power wire. This ran the pump continuously and my tank was drained in a few minutes. I was actually surprised at how much gas was in there compared to what my fuel gauge showed. You are going to want the tank empty, believe me. When it comes time to reinstall the tank, you will see why.

Once you are satisfied you aren’t going to get any more fuel out of the tank, remove power from the pump and disconnect your battery for safety. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be safe on this project since you are dealing with gas. I did mine in my garage with the doors open to make sure it was well ventilated.

Unplug the fuel pump weatherpack connector under the rear bumper on the driver’s side.

Jack up the rear of the car just a little bit and place jackstands underneath it. Don’t go too high because your hydraulic jack won’t help you much if it can’t reach the tank with it later on.

It’s time to get dirty. Put your safety glasses on since you will have rust, dirt, and gas droplets falling on you as you are under the car. Crawl under the rear of the car and look for a metal heat shield above the differential. Remove this heat shield to gain access to the three fuel related rubber lines.

First, remove the line going to the vapor canister by using a pair of pliers to relive pressure on the spring clamp. Then, loosen the hose clamps holding the feed and return lines on.

Next, you have to divorce the rubber line from the steel line. This was a major pain for me and it took some wiggling and gentle twisting before I was able to wrestle each one loose. This was very frustrating at first, so take a break if you can’t get it right away. I used two surgical gloves on each hand to ensure I wouldn’t be getting gas on my skin. I was also VERY glad I had safety goggles on since I had a few droplets catch me right on the lense. Yikes.

Remove the bracket holding the lines to the frame with a 13mm socket.

Once these lines are free, it is time to remove the tank. Take the piece of plywood and center it underneath the tank making sure it doesn’t block the holding straps from dropping out of place.

Next, use the hydraulic jack and raise it to meet the plywood very gently. The tank should look like it is resting on the plywood.

Crawl under the car armed with some penetrating oil. Liberally spray the two bolts holding the straps to the frame of the car. They are on either side of the stock muffler. Let it sit for a while, otherwise you will mangle the bolt badly since it is bound to be rusty.

After five minutes or so, enough time to get a quick sandwich and a soda, crawl under the car and use the socket wrench and a 15mm socket to remove each of these bolts. Make sure you have safety glasses on since rust and dirt will be fallling down on you. Be aware that the strap is all that is holding the tank above you, so be mindful of your surroundings. It is great to have a partner to help you, but I didn’t have one until installation.

Lower the straps and move them out of the way.

Slowly relieve pressure in the hydraulic jack and lower the tank ever so slightly, making sure that the filler neck clears the inner portion of the bumper. You may have to move the tank toward the front of the car a bit.

Roll the tank out from under the car. What seemed like the impossible has now come true. Your tank sits before you ready to be cracked open.

Use the can of compressed air to blow the rust and dirt particles from around the fuel pump opening. You don’t want any of that in your tank!

Using a brass or aluminum object (I used an aluminum chisel like tool), remove the retaining ring by tapping it counter-clockwise. You want something like brass or aluminum to avoid any sparking. Remember, we are dealing with gas fumes here. I was doing this outside in my driveway in fresh breezy air.

Once the retaining ring is loose, remove the pump assembly by turning it as necessary to clear the sock and the sending unit float.

To remove the pump from the hanger, simply loosen the hose clamp at the top of the pump, remove the old sock, disconnect the electrical connector, and then slightly bend the bottom portion of the hanger down for pump removal.

Next, take your new pump and prepare it. I used a Walbro 307 pump in my car, so I attached the 3/8″ rubber fuel line and clamped it securely. I also used the rubber jacket that surrounds the entire fuel pump just for the heck of it. Attach the rubber insulator to the bottom of the pump and then insert it into the hanger. Slightly bend the bottom of the hanger assembly up so the pump is securely in place.

Next, attach the fuel sock. It points toward the passenger side.

Attach your power wire. I almost forgot to do this. That surely would have made for some less than desirable results.

Put your new rubber o-ring gasket on the tank opening.

Carefully lower the unit into the tank making sure you keep on eye on the sock to make sure it still points directly to the passenger side, parallel with the back of the tank, if you will.

Install the retainer ring by knocking it clockwise until it is securely snapped in place. No sparks, please.

Now it is time for the hard part. Up until now I was doing all of this by myself, but a partner was now employed for the installation.

We are now ready to reinstall the tank.

Set the tank on top of the jack/plywood and roll it under the car.

Jack up the tank very slowly and make sure the filler neck gets to its home. You really need two people for this next step.

Have a partner balance the tank and position it while you secure the straps with the socket wrench and 15mm socket. Be very careful not to force these because if you strip them, you will be in for trouble. I almost did, but I was able to clean up the threads by removing the bolt and nut clamp, then driving the bolt through the opposite direction on a bench vise. It worked like a charm

After the tank is wrestled into place and the straps are secure, hook up your rubber lines and secure them very well. Remember, these are high pressure lines and they are right by the muffler, so leak free installation is an absolute must. It is a pain, but if you wrestle enough with them, the fuel line will slip back on the steel line. I had to speak harshly with my lines before they would comply with my wishes.

Reinstall the heat shield.

Button up the fuel system. Install your schrader valve and make sure everything is ready to go.

Refuel your car. If you energize the pump with no gas in the tank, you risk damage.

Start up the car and look for leaks everywhere you have been. If you use a light for this project, please use a fluorescent trouble light as incandescent bulbs get hot and can start fires.